Graduate Programs

Master's Degrees

Faculty Advisory/Research Committees

Each degree candidate is assigned to a faculty advisory committee. The committee is chaired by the chairperson of the candidate’s major subject (or the chairperson’s designee) and is composed of the chair and four or more additional members of the IU School of Dentistry, IU, or Purdue University graduate faculty, including at least two from the student’s major department, one from each minor, and one from outside the major and minor departments. The functions of the advisory committee are to (1) approve the student’s program of study; (2) counsel the student until the qualifying (oral and written comprehensive) examination is passed; and (3) compose and grade the qualifying examination.

At Indiana University, students have traditionally submitted a research thesis to complete their M.S.D. degree requirements. Requirements were modified in February 2004 to give program directors the option of permitting M.S.D. degree candidates to prepare their research either as a thesis, or in the form of a manuscript that must subsequently be submitted for publication in a refereed journal. The student’s program director determines which option the student will pursue.

Following successful completion of the qualifying examination, the student will be permitted to complete the thesis or journal manuscript research under the direction of his or her research committee. The research committee may or may not have the same composition as the faculty advisory committee. The research committee is chaired by the faculty member who directs the thesis or journal manuscript research (chosen by the student with the consent of the chair of the faculty advisory committee) and is composed of the chairperson and four or more additional members of the IU School of Dentistry, IU, or Purdue University graduate faculty with at least two from the student’s major department and one from each minor department. The committee should be selected from the members of the graduate faculty who are best qualified to assist the student in conducting the thesis or journal manuscript research. The research committee is responsible for supervising the research, guiding the preparation of the thesis or journal manuscript, and conducting and approving the thesis or journal manuscript defense.

Once the faculty advisory and research committees have certified that the student has completed the academic and research requirements, the director of the graduate program will certify the student for graduation and direct the graduate recorder to order the diploma.